According to Kate
by tmpayne80
Summary: We see what Kate is thinking after Headhunters. There are only partial spoilers from Season 3 and 4. No copyright infringement intended. Castle does not belong to me.
1. Chapter 1

I came into the 12th Precinct uncertain of which Richard Castle I would be dealing with. Would I get the arrogant pain in the neck that I have been dealing with the last few weeks? Would I get the fun, caring writer who helped me find clues I would not ordinarily catch? I was hoping to get the second option. He was so much easier to be around and work with at a crime scene. I was secretly hoping that Detective Slaughter had cured him of any ideas of playing "cop" again. I mean, come on, he just about confirmed his own spot in the morgue at least twice.

"Have you or Ryan seen Castle this morning?" I only get a shaking head and blank stare as my answer from Esposito.

Espoo and Ryan were not much help, so I turned to my desk to see what I had to do for the day. There was a piece of paper neatly folded on my desk. I had Castle's handwriting on it. The ink looked like it came from a gel pen not a ball point.

I unfolded the paper unsure of what Castle would be on that paper. Apologetic or arrogant Castle? I took a deep breath and prepared myself for anything unpleasant that might be on the paper.

Dear Kate,

I owe you more apologies than I can possibly offer. I acted like a big jerk to everyone on the team, especially you. I almost killed the people that mattered to me most twice. I sincerely apologize for that. Despite every idiotic and stupid thing I did, you still looked out for me. A real friend and a real partner never acts like I have been acting. If you have any doubts about my feelings toward you, put them to rest. I still do and I would have said those words again if I had to do it all over again. See you in the morning.

-Rick

It is an odd emotion being mad at someone and relieved all at the same time. He had lied to me about what he knew about my mother's shooting, so there you have the angry part. It was good to have him back working with us again, there is the relief part. Espisito had been correct about how much of an integral part of the team he had become. Here in the confines of this precinct I had to remain the professional. It would be later on tonight that we could set the past few weeks straight. It was personal.

The elevator door opened. I saw Castle stepping out with two coffees in hand and smiling for a change. There were no dark shadows that shined in his eyes. His smile was not one of an arrogant jackass. Yep, Castle appeared to be back to his old self once more. Damn I missed him.

"Consider this coffee as an apology and a peace offering for my recent behavior. I know I have been a major jackass. Forgive me?" Rick smiled at me with his most charming smile.

"You admitted so something I would have called you. Consider yourself forgiven with a warning to not do that again." I smiled as I accepted the Styrofoam cup.

Before I could take my first eye opening sip, the phone on my desk rang. It was time to do what I got paid for and loved. I had a homicide to investigate.

"We got a homicide guys." I called across the bullpen to Esposito and Ryan.

"Castle, you are riding with me." My words bring a smile to Castle's face.

Esposito and Ryan look up at me just before leaving their desk to follow me. The boys give Castle a dirty look just before leaving. I could not blame them for it because they were also put in jeopardy by his less than intelligent choice to follow Detective Dummy.

"So what do we have Beckett?" Castle's voice regained the boyish excitement that I had missed hearing more than I had realized.

"A shooting victim." My answer sounded rude and blunt, even in my own ears.

"Lead the way." It was nice to hear a tone of voice that I had not heard in some time.

Castle shocked me when he did not almost walk on my own heels. Instead, he was looking around the crime scene for clues with unusual care. He did not say much along the lines of the spoken word, but his careful observations spoke volumes.

"Our vic has to be a pick-pocket because this wallet belongs to a man. This is clearly a woman." Esposito approached me with a driver's license and a number of credit cards that did not resemble her.

"She could also be a master of disguise." Castle must have overheard us because he was just behind me staring at the bag in Esposito's hands.

At first Castle's theory sounded crazy. Why would a woman have a man's ID and credit cards? It occurred to me that it could be possible but it would be a first for me.

The week and the case seemed to speed by me at an unreal speed. It was during my last interrogation of a suspect that we got our killer and his reason. It was as if I was in one of Castle's books because only he could have dreamed up what actually happened.

Our vic, Natasha Meyer, was a reporter for some newspaper. The story she had been chasing involved a gentleman's club that had a reputation for having mob ties. She had found a way to infiltrate the club by disguising herself as a man. She had done such a good job that she got hired on by the management. The owner of the club had been won over by her alter-ego, Marco Block. The owner eventually found out who Marco really was. Natasha knew the risks of her job well enough to know that security cameras were needed. When the hit man shot her, the cameras were on.

Castle approached me while was clearing the murder board. He looked like he had a lot on his mind and that he wanted to talk. I stopped what I was doing long enough to look into his eyes. I knew he was right because I could tell it in my own eyes.

"I think I will have to save this case for one of my books. What a gripping thriller that would be." Castle was clearly trying to avoid the conversation.

"Funny I was thinking the same thing when this started. What's on your mind Castle?" I answered, leaving a silent open door for him to walk through.

"Kate, I wish I could take back all of the trouble I have caused. Trouble I caused for you in particular. It was unfair to all of you. I have no good excuses for it. I should have told you that I heard you that day. I was so angry and hurt that I just had to get away." Castle had his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Castle…Rick; I know we need to talk. Just not here. Let me finish what I am doing here." I did not want an audience if I could possibly help it.

"Let me buy you an apology drink." Castle smiled with nervous anxiety I had never seen him have before.

"Help me finish loading this box and I might consider it." I was enjoying my short time to watch him squirm.

I closed the lid and turned to Castle.

"I think I will take you up on that drink. However, I have a condition that must be met." I could see his eyes turn expectant.

"Name it." He was quick to answer.

"My loft and you have dinner with me." The expression on his face was beyond priceless.

I did what I think few women could do to Castle. I rendered the stunned into speechlessness.

"I take the look on your face as a yes. Am I right?" I was savoring the moment.

"Yes." He barely got the answer out of his mouth.

We walked side by side into a night we both knew would change things.


	2. Chapter 2

It was mildly amusing to watch Rick sweat it out next to me in the car. I hardly said anything and he must have thought that saying anything more would have put him in the doghouse with me. We had a temporary stop off for some take out. I did not feel much like cooking and I assumed that Rick was not much in the mood himself.

I unlocked my loft door and entered first with Rick not far behind me. It appeared from my point of view that his swagger had disappeared. I was in control and I think he knew it. I got the plates down and served the food to a silent Rick.

"So you wanted to talk. Now would be the time." I said breaking the silence we had maintained since leaving the precinct.

"I guess we do. Do you want to start or do you want me to start? We have a big mess to clean up it appears." Rick was more nervous than me.

Of course he had a good reason to be nervous because he was the guy who started this whole mess. If I had done something to hurt or offend him, he should have spoken up the day I did it instead of acting like a womanizing jerk.

"Please start first. You have made it very clear that I need enlightenment." I finally picked up my fork.

"I wished you would have told me that you remembered everything. I told you I loved you and you never told me exactly what you felt. I thought your silence had meant that you did not remember and that you did not hear what I had said. When you told Bobby that you remembered everything, it was as if you hit me below the belt." Rick softened up in his expression.

"Okay. You could have told me that when it happened. You should not have used Jacinda, the plane stewardess and Detective Slaughter, the Gang Department's loose cannon. I could have explained everything if you had given me half the chance." I could not help but sharpen my tone.

"Okay, okay. I did not do very well in the communication department. You would have felt the same if the shoe were on the other foot. You can't tell me that you would not have been as livid as I was if I had done the same to you." Rick lost a little more of the swagger I had come to loathe.

I chewed on my food and thought about what he had said. Maybe I would have been a little mad but I don't think I would have been such a jackass about it. I felt like I had to defend myself just a little bit. I was the one healing, if he had not forgotten that fact.

"What you call cruel and unusual punishment on my part was actually trying to make sense of things. I had a lot to deal with and dealing with that part of the shooting took a lot of time. I was trying to heal. I am sorry that I hurt you by not telling you first but there are just some things that take time to deal with." This time I removed the edge from my voice, I wanted him to have some compassion for my situation.

"Then we only have one question left to work out. I need to know if you love me or if I should walk away with what little dignity I have left." Rick's eyes and voice were serious yet soft.

I sat there chewing the last of my food contemplating what I should say. Did I love him? I did not always know for sure, but I did then. My guilt and my worry told me all that I needed to know. I loved him but up until this moment I had not been sure how to deal with it or what to do with it.

"I do love you. There you got your answer. Surviving being shot takes a lot out of you. I have had to spend a lot of time with the doctor to get through everything. All I have left to do now to give you and give myself the kind of relationship we want is to make peace with my mother's death. I told you that a long time ago and I meant it. I would hope that you would understand that." I felt as if I had opened myself up more than I ever had in my life to a man.

I thought about how I had closed myself off with Josh and all the other men of my past. It made it easier get out of the relationship if I found something wrong with it. Rick had always been so different from them. He had showed me how to have a good time and do my work. I wanted more than anything to give him the kind of relationship that made him feel secure. I knew I needed that as well.

"Now that my interrogation is over, I would like to know how long you were going to keep your secret from me. I need to know why for me to figure out where we go from here." I put my plate down and concentrated on his face.

"My turn huh? I have a perfectly logical explanation for that. I know that my explanation might seem something out of one of my books, but it is all true." I prepared myself to hear something that would be stranger than any of his fiction.

I never took my eyes from his face. This time he was not sweating it out but actually thinking of his words very carefully. I was not prepared to hear what he was about to tell me.

"You were supposed to die the night that Roy died. The men who were behind your mother's shooting and countless others wanted you dead. Roy called me to drag you away to prevent your death. I saved your life that night. After Roy's death, Roy sent some files back to someone I don't know. I only know that he gave me his number once." The story was eye opening and vivid in my memory.

"I got the call from that man. He warned me to keep you as far away from the case as possible. So that is what I did. He said that if you got involved any more than you already had, you would be joining your mother. I could not let that happen to you. I loved you too much to see you end up dead. I tracked the case without you ever knowing so that I might be able to give you that peace. I feel bad for the deception but I had to. It was the only way to keep you safe from the men responsible." I believed Rick despite the strange story I heard.

"Actually Kate, I do owe you a huge apology for all of my behavior. I was a drunken idiot when you saw me at The Old Haunt and I wish now that I could take that back. I should have thought twice about working the Detective Slaughter. I almost got you and the boys killed. I am even sorrier that I hurt you." He reached over and took my hands.

I looked into his eyes and I could see the remorse in his eyes. I could see the question that he was not using words to ask. Would I forgive him for everything that had happened and would I give him a second chance to prove his words.

"Do you still love me?" I put the words out plain and simple.

"I do. I tried stopping but I found that I couldn't. Mother once told me that you can't shut off love and I tried. I just couldn't. I did dangerous and stupid things to do that." Rick was bearing his soul to me in a way that he had never been able to do before.

"Forgive any reservations I may have. You have been married twice and divorced twice. That doesn't show much positive." I allowed him to understand my greatest reservation.

"I can understand that reservation. I just want to be given a chance. My first two marriages were not the smartest moves I have ever made. The best thing to come out of any of them is Alexis. You have seen my loyalty and you can trust me. I only ask for a second chance if you could give me that much." Rick was practically groveling and sweating in front of me.

I could have let it go on further if I had the heart. I just did not at that moment. I could see that he was genuine in his pleading, not just trying to get into my better graces. I knew that he was looking for me to respond with words, but I thought of a far better way. I had been itching to do it since the first time it happened.

I stood up stood up in front of him. I pulled him to his feet. Without a second thought, I laid a kiss on him that blew both of our minds. I was in shock and I could tell he was too. It felt like pure electricity and it stopped when we had to breathe.

"Is that good enough of an answer?" I was still catching my breath.

"That was the best answer I have ever received from a woman in my life." His hands were still wrapped around me.

"So where do we go from here?" I asked enjoying his arms around me.

"How about we figure this one out a day at a time?" He answered.

You just never know where a night and a bunch of aired secrets will lead you.

**Spoilers from season 3 and 4 include: Knockdown(Kiss), Knockout(Roy's death and funeral), Rise(conversation in the park), 47 Seconds(Secret revealed), The Limey(Jacinda), and Headhunters(Detective Slaughter.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Better than fiction**

**Spoilers are from Season 3 and Season 2. The LA part of the story comes from To Live And Die in LA and the Niki Heat part comes from Season 2 Episode 4 Fool Me Once.**

Things at the precinct remained the same. Castle and I had agreed to keep the new relationship under wraps. Captain Gates did not seem to know or care about what I did in my personal time. It was a completely different story when we stepped out of the 12th into the real world. We transformed into the most attached couple anyone could see. We saw a few Broadway shows and watched a few movies. I found Rick to be the kind of person I never thought he would be. He was a mature, loving, and protective man in my presence. Sure, he still had his silly streak, but that did not show up all that often.

"So Kate, what is on the docket for tonight?" Rick brought me a glass of wine while I sat on the couch.

"I haven't figured that out yet. I have a few ideas but I don't know if you would be interested." I teased.

"You have my attention." Rick made himself comfortable next to me.

"I was thinking a carriage ride through the park and then a nice quiet night back at the apartment." I could see that I was wrong.

"That sounds great. You can count me in." Rick put his free arm around my shoulders.

"Can I ask you a question Kate?" The tone in his voice let me know it had something to do with the past.

"Sure." I put my glass down and looked at him.

"What were you thinking when we were back in the apartment in LA?" Rick's smile made me want to smile.

"I was flattered by your words. Only you can make the word "hotness" sound so complimentary. In the back of my mind, I thought of kissing you." I admitted after thinking back to that day.

"Did I hear your door right? I thought I heard it open that night." Rick stroked my hand.

"Yes it did. I went back into mine when I saw your door close I closed mine again. I probably would have kissed you then. It's too hard to know now. Royce knew how you felt about me I guess. He put it in a letter. I watched you sleep on that flight wondering how different things would have been if I had." I found myself admitting things that I had kept locked away.

Rick did not say anything. He just closed the space between us and kissed me tenderly.

"What was that for?" I asked still looking into his loving eyes.

"I wished you would have back then. It doesn't matter now because I have you now. I get to kiss you whenever I would like to without a thought." Rick's voice was so sweet and caring.

"consider that point taken." I answered contented to have him to lean on.

"My turn to ask you a question writer boy." I turned my head to look at him.

"I sense that this question could be a good one. It will be either thought provoking or embarrassing." Rick did not push me off of him.

"Where did you get that idea for the sex scene in the Niki Heat book? Was that your fantasy or just creativity at work?" I had to know considering how flattering it was now.

"So the detective goes for the embarrassing." Rick laughed just before putting down his empty wine glass.

"It was fifty percent wishful thinking, fantasy if you will. It was fifty percent creative. It was difficult to write and concentrate at the same time if you know what I mean." Rick mixed honesty with a little bit of humor.

"I bet it was. Would you ever try it in real life?" I could feel his touch change slowly to something more than tender.

"I would do that in a heartbeat, as long as it was with you." His gaze was steady and there was something in his eyes we had yet to appease.

He had me thinking the same thing without too much work. Before we knew it we were making out on the couch like a couple of hormone driven teenagers. I could feel his hands on the bare skin of my back. It was an intoxicating feeling. We had made a point of not getting to this point fast. At that point, I felt like we had waited long enough.

"How about we take this somewhere else?" Rick's voice took on a husky tone that was undeniable.

"I think that sounds like a great idea. Cuffs are optional you know." I could not resist the joke.

"No tiger right?" Rick asked.

He guided me back to his bedroom and closed the door behind us. Everything after that was a blur of touches and kisses. When he saw my scar, I thought he would stare. Instead he touched the scar and kissed me. I don't remember what he said at the time, nor did I care. My brain seemed to have memorized every touch.

The moon was shining in on our bare bodies underneath his sheets. It had been better than the book put into words. I had no regrets for it and I detected he had not had any either. I had my head on his shoulder, listening to each beat of his heart. It was hard to believe that she was here next to him.

"You are so damn beautiful, have I told you that lately?" Rick's eyes fluttered open.

"Not in those words." I stroked his hair.

I put my hand on his bare chest.

"Can I tell you something? I promise you will like it." I sat up on my elbow to look at him.

"Well, if you say I will like it, I am all ears." His head was turned my direction.

"You write disappointing sex scenes." I said.

"I am hurt." Rick responded in mock hurt.

"If you let me finish, you will like it." I ran my finger around his bare chest.

"Then please…continue." He put his left arm around my shoulders and his right behind his head.

"You are better than anything you have put in print." I saw a satisfied smile painted on his face.

I expected a thank you but I got two arms wrapped around me in a tender kiss. Josh and Demming became forgotten memories when I laid next to Rick. It had been worth the long wait.

"Sorry to ruin the plans for tonight." Rick stroked my hair.

"You improved our plans." I could not resist the correction.

"By the way Kate, Niki Heat has nothing on you. You are so much sexier and irresistible. I just thought you would like to know." I heard before finally falling asleep in his arms.

I could have thanked him for it but nothing would have come close to what I would have said it enough…


	4. Chapter 4

**Spoilers come from Season two Overkill (2x23) and A Deadly Game (2x24) Demming. Season Four Rise (4x01) Swing conversation. Season One Always Buy Retail (1x06) Kitten.**

The weekend had been so satisfying for me in particular that it proved to be a major distraction back at the 12th. Rick had given me something very few men had. I felt safe, I felt loved, and I felt secure. I know Josh had tried hard but could not provide me the safety and security had had been seeking. Demming always seemed more like a fling than a relationship. Rick had been all those things. We spent some time outside the apartment just barely avoiding Jenny and Ryan. Before I left the apartment, Rick posed a question that had me completely lost at first. He asked me how many feet I had. I wasn't sure what he meant at first.

On my way in, I saw the swings that we had talked in months ago. I started to remember the conversation in all its detail. It had been me that said that it always seemed like I had one foot out of a relationship. I had also told him that making peace with the past was the only way for me to have the kind of relationship I craved most. When I got to my desk, I had to think about my answer. The weekend had been amazing yes, but could it last? I felt the nagging feeling eating away at my mind.

"I thought I saw you in the park during the weekend. Have a nice walk?" Ryan called from his desk.

"Everyone has a twin. I stayed at home all weekend. The last case took a lot out of me so I caught up on sleep." I tried to come up with a good cover story.

"I am sure it was you. That is unless Castle is dating your twin." Ryan was starting unravel my story.

"What Castle does is his business. So how was your weekend?" I attempted to turn the conversation from me.

Ryan did not answer and turned back to his desk asking nothing further. Espo only looked at me knowing that my answer was meant to stop all lines of questioning when it came to Rick.

We got no phone calls that day, to my surprise. I called Rick to see if he might want to help me with some paperwork. No one heard the conversation on his end because they would have figured it out. I did not want them knowing for now.

"Miss me that much already?" I heard his voice on the other end of the line.

"You have no idea." I used my usual tone of voice I had reserved for Castle.

"So what's up beautiful?" Rick's voice took on a new level of charm.

"No homicides but lots of paperwork. Are you interested in helping?" I asked hoping for a yes.

"Sure. You would make watching paint dry or grass grow worth doing. As long as you are my company, I am in." I could hear the humor and seriousness in his voice.

"So I will see you in ten?" I asked with careful attention to my tone of voice.

"That is affirmative kitten." I could still hear a hint of annoying humor in his voice.

"Watch it Castle. You know I hate that." I gritted my teeth in aggravation.

"I love you. Don't forget that." The tenderness was in his voice.

"I know. Back at you Castle." I wanted to repeat the words back to him but the boys were watching.

The boys were looking at me with weird smirks on their faces. Still appearances had to be maintained. Gates did not need to know because of the implications that came with it.

Within ten minutes, Rick strolled in with two cups of coffee and a smile. The boys appeared to snickering. Rick was about as good at hiding our secret as he was hiding a purple hippo. He did not try to kiss me and he did not whisper in my ear about anything. He was being double annoying and he was smiling too much. It took all the effort in my body to subdue the feelings and memories to keep up a professional appearance.

I saw the boys huddled among them looking every couple words their direction. I got the distinct feeling our attempts were falling flat. I had made every effort to not hold his hand and even more not to kiss him. Rick would look at me and I could see that he knew what was going on in my mind.

"Well Beckett, Ryan and I are headed out for the night. Call us if anything comes up." Espo called as him and Ryan left the bullpen for the night.

I wanted to watch until they left before I did what had been on my mind all day. I had spent all day thinking about kissing him. It dawned on me that Espo's words could have been a trap to prove a theory they had been talking about all day.

"Wait until we get back to the loft. I think the boys are already figuring this one out." I finally whispered in his ear when I was sure they were gone.

After the door had shut to my loft, I did what I had been thinking about all day long. I pinned him up against my door and let it go. To my shock I had not scared the living daylights out of him, but had excited him. My mind caught up with the rest of me before the rest of the night could carry on.

"I have two feet. As long as we work through this together, you will always see my two feet in this." Rick seemed very happy that I remembered the question.

"The funny part is I already knew that. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did." His arms were still wrapped around me.

I could not resist the urge to playfully slap Rick upside his cheek.

"This is for calling me Kitten. I still love you though." I smiled before actually continuing the kiss before.

Little did I know that our little secret would not be figured out by either of the boys, despite Ryan's near embarrassing revelation at the bullpen. Who learns better than the one girl that knows you better than you know yourself?


	5. Chapter 5

Things between Rick and I had been better than I could have imagined. I know that Espo and Ryan had their speculations. On the job, it was business as usual for the sake of keeping everything quiet. The only difference between now and the past is that I knew what he was thinking without him ever saying a single word. Rick could read me better than he ever had in the past. There was no guessing, just a familiar knowledge that I found to be very reassuring and comforting. Gates was still completely unaware as far as I knew. I was convinced that if she found out, Castle would be deemed an unnecessary distraction.

Castle was a small distraction since I had come to know him so well on my own personal time in such a personal way. I tried not to think about how we spent our nights together when no one was around. It took a lot of energy and concentration on my part to come up with good lies and keep memories from distracting me. I know that Rick had to be doing the same thing within his own mind. He was man.

The only person I knew that would not be easily fooled would be the one woman who had been pushing me the whole time. Lanie was nobody's fool and eventually she would know. A case would unravel my lie and an inopportune moment would get us figured out.

It all started when my phone rang around four in the morning. In the past, I would call Castle. All I had to do now was whisper in his ear after getting his attention with a kiss on the back of his neck. He grumbled a satisfied grumble and touched my face.

"I just got a call of Espo. We have a body." I only saw Rick smile.

I thought I heard a grumbling "okay" that did not make it much passed the pillow.

I dressed and made sure Rick was up. I knew it would be a risk to have Castle arrive with me. I could still make up some story to keep the secret a little longer from the boys. It was Lanie that worried me the most. She would read something into it and I would have to come up with a bigger lie to cover it up.

"Castle, Beckett…Coming in at the same time." I overheard her mutter to herself before I got there.

Actually, I could not hear her. I was reading her lips if not her mind.

"Well Detective Beckett, our vic is a 21 year old female. It looks like she was killed by blunt force trauma. I don't have much for you until I get her into autopsy to make entirely sure." Lanie's eyes showed suspicion.

"Have the uniforms found any kind of identification as to who she is?" I could tell when she used Detective when I arrived she was catching on quick.

"Nothing here Beckett." Espo snuck up behind me.

I shot Espo a dirty look and waited for Ryan to chime in like he normally does, but he said nothing.

"Esposito, check with missing persons to see if any woman matching her description." I turned on my professional voice.

"Ryan, help him with that. Let me know once we get a hit. Once we know who this poor woman is the sooner we can figure out what happened to her." Rick looked mildly amused by my professional voice.

"Castle and I will be looking around the scene for other clues." I saw no suspicion or indication of concern in their expressions.

"Good job Kate." Castle was careful to not give it away too much.

"I hope you have my coffee I could use it. What I just did sapped my energy reserves." It really had been hard on my energy.

"Yes I do. All you have to do is smile and say "please"." Castle was turning up the charm.

I smiled and said what I had to say. I could never explain why Castle's coffee seemed so much better than mine.

After scouring the scene, we found evidence of a weapon in which the crime scene techs bagged up and a smudged on a card that was also bagged up. Castle had done a remarkable job of playing off any conclusion that anyone could silently assume.

After a week of questioning countless persons of interest, we got our suspect. The young woman had been the suspect's secret obsession until he found her sleeping with another man. He had accidentally killed her in a fit of rage. It had not been until after she did not move that he realized what he had done.

"Now that this case is up, I was thinking a girls night out. I enjoyed the last one so much I am requesting another." Lanie showed up at my desk.

I had plans with Castle but I could not tell her that without raising further suspicion.

"I have work to do back at the apartment. Can we do a rain check?" I asked using the best lie I could come up with.

"We can turn the cleaning into an old fashioned girl's night out. You can't say no to that." I could see Lanie was trying very hard to convince me to go along with it.

"I would rather do the work alone. I can do it another time, just not tonight." I was running out of believable excuses to keep her away.

"Okay. We can do it another time. Take it easy." I should have read the easy defeat as a bad sign that she had not given up.

That night Rick and I returned to my apartment for a nice quiet dinner and a good movie. It was no surprise that we ended up back in my bedroom sprawled out on my bed. We fell asleep completely comfortable cuddled against each other.

My phone beeped letting me know that I had a text message at six Saturday morning. I was half asleep when I read it. It was from Lanie. It simply said that she would stand at my door until I opened it. I was hoping that my movement from the bed would not wake him.

I opened my door and there she was holding a bag that smelled good. I prayed that Rick would not stumble out in his boxers before I could stop him.

"I thought after all the hard work you have done that a good breakfast would be in order." Lanie was smiling at me with suspicion.

"I appreciate the thought. I am starving." I forgot about Rick being within smell distance of the food.

Just as I was about to take a bite, I heard the muffled steps coming into my kitchen. Lanie looked at me with the unspoken question I knew she wanted to ask.

"I thought it was just you here. I bet you have company." Lanie was getting warmer by the minute.

"Kate…What in the world smells so good?" Rick called as he entered the kitchen in his house coat on and hair very messed up.

The look on his face was priceless when he realized that Lanie was there with me. Rick looked shocked at first but then relaxed when it all sunk in. Our secret wasn't just our secret anymore.

"Kate Beckett." The tone of her voice sounded annoyed for my omission.

"Call us busted Kate." He shuffled over and kissed my forehead.

"You mean to tell me that you two have been an item and you did not tell me?" Lanie asked still trying to process what she was seeing.

I did not answer with word. For reasons beyond my understanding, I only turned red and gave my best "I-Confess-Without-Words" grin.

"Do us both a favor and keep this to yourself. I am trying not to share this information with anyone else at the 12th." I smiled when I felt his warm hands massage my shoulders through my t-shirt.

It looked like Lanie was thinking about it pretty hard before she answered.

"I can do that. But I do have one thing to say about it." I listened with extreme apprehension and attention.

I waited nervously to know what that was. I had my conclusions but you never quite know what the people closest to us will say.

"It is about damn time. I thought you two would either come together or one of you would leave. I will leave you two love birds to your own devices and I will shop by myself." Lanie left the food behind before gathering up her purse and leaving.

My lesson in this episode of my life was that don't ever try to hide anything from your best friend, because they always figure it out.


End file.
